Antecedentes

UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with national counterparts on their own solutions to global and national development challenges.

UNDP Afghanistan is supporting the Government to find innovative solutions to its development challenges based on the Country Programme Document approved by the Executive Board for the period 2010 - 2013. The Country Programme Action Plan was approved by the Government and UNDP in 2009. UNDP Afghanistan is organized into (1) Policy and Results Management Directorate, (2) Policy and Programmes and (3) Operations. The Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit is part of the Policy and Programmes. The Policy and Programme consists of the following units: (1) Democratic Governance Unit, (2) Local Governance and Administration unit, (3) Crisis Prevention and Recovery unit, (4) Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Livelihoods unit, and (5) Natural Resources and Environment Cluster.

Years of conflict have damaged Afghanistan's economic, political, physical, social and institutional structures. Reconstruction demands a secure environment in which there is credible leadership and enforced rule of law. Strong, legitimate and effective public administration structures, responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens - including the poor -  are a precursor to any sustainable development. To this end, UNDP supports Afghan electoral institutions so that they can become more effective vehicles for development.

The UNDP Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow (ELECT) project- phase I (2006 - 2011) lent technical and operational assistance to Afghan electoral bodies throughout the 2009 Presidential and provincial council elections and 2010 parliamentary elections. This included the establishment of Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) offices throughout Afghanistan's 34 provinces.

Phase II of the ELECT project, commencing at the end of 2011, will comprise of long-term assistance to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan, focusing on institutional strengthening and capacity consolidation. The overarching objective of ELECT-II is to support the national electoral institutions to plan and conduct credible future elections with minimal external support.

Continuing long-term assistance through support to capacity building of national electoral authorities beyond 2010 is in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1974 (2011). This assistance is closely coordinated with UNAMA, UNDPKO and EAD.

The three key outputs for ELECT II are:

• Operational and technical capacity of the IEC is developed to ensure well organised, future Afghan-led electoral processes.
• The quality of the national voter registry is improved.
• Capacity of the IEC to encourage broader democratic participation is strengthened.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Under the overall supervision of the UNDP Country Director, the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) will provide strategic advice to the Chairman and the Chief Electoral Officer of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on all electoral matters, and will ensure cooperation and coordination among key stakeholders and partners involved in the electoral process. The CTA is also expected to liaise closely with UNAMA, donors and other election stakeholders to build strategic partnerships. In this capacity the CTA promotes thematic and sectorial synergies and coordination of programme activities and execution.

The CTA will provide strategic direction for the development of electoral policy and the consolidation of institutional capacity of the IEC. In order to stimulate dialogue and strategic thinking in relation to Afghan electoral policy and a potential reform process, the CTA will provide strategic policy advice and promote fora for national and international experts. S/he will, in addition, formulate strategic direction to enhance UNDP's public outreach and advocacy on electoral matters.

The CTA will provide overall guidance and leadership to the technical assistance team providing electoral support to the IEC. In this regard, the CTA will partner with all other implementing agencies providing support to the electoral authorities. Specifically, the CTA will provide leadership in facilitating coordination and exchange of information between donors and implementing agencies in these areas of support.

Key responsibilities of the CTA will include:

• Strategic Policy Direction
• Programme Support
• Organization and Management
• Delivery of Project Results
• Capacity Development for Institutional Reform and Development
• Marketing and Advocacy
• Strategic partnerships, Coordination and Resource Mobilization

Strategic Policy Direction:

• Coordinate the strategic planning, formulation and monitoring of programmatic issues and act as the key senior policy advisor to the Afghan electoral management bodies;
• Providing political, institutional and policy advice on all aspects of electoral capacity building, administration and management of the IEC;
• Assessing programme development challenges and highlights key election issues; provides policy advice based on best global experiences and practices;
• Provides intellectual leadership in the subject area through identification of key policy and programme issues. Stimulates strategic thinking in the subject area and tap into opportunities;
• Provides substantial advice in formulating policy options for IEC on electoral issues;
• Ensures network of prominent, policy-focused national and international experts to bring best practices and support a series of dialogue roundtables to facilitate knowledge transfer;
• Developing alliances for policy reform amongst national and international development institutions;
• Document best practices, including concepts, strategies and implementation approaches, through analytical reports.

Programme Support:

• Advise IEC leadership on strategies in preparing a long-term capacity building strategy for the institution;
• Provide regular monitoring and progress reports to the UNDP Country Director on the achievements in strengthening the capacity and support to the IEC;
• Provide advice and recommendations to the UNDP Country Director on how UNDP can further strengthen and support the IEC;
• Guide and advise the ELECT team in preparation of the project activities and budgets.

Organization and Management:

• Prepare organization structure including distribution of functions and responsibilities, decision-making and business processes and institutional arrangements;
• Identify, as part of international recruitment requirements of UNDP, highly prominent international and national experts;
• Facilitate the day-to-day functioning of the Team. Manage the human and financial resources for achieving results in line with the outputs and activities outlined in the project document and annual work plan;
• Prepare annual work plan and results framework for the project and based on approval of the Government and UNDP take the lead in implementing for delivery of results;
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports and organize, correspondingly, monthly, quarterly and annual progress reviews;
• Organize meetings of the Project Board (Steering Committee);
• As per corporate UNDP requirements, establish participatory governance and decision-making system which involves all project staff; ensure enabling environment for high level performance of all project personnel;
• Establish performance management system, based on UNDP?s results and competency assessment system, to monitor staff performance;
• Ensure security of the staff and assets belonging to the projects.

Delivery of Project Results:

• Lead the project team in preparing component or output-based concept or strategy papers and implementation manuals or guidelines;
• Prepare results framework for each output and establish performance and impact assessment indicators and system;
• Manage delivery of results by using up-to-date best practices and know-how in the subject area and accordingly plan delivery of resources at 25-20% for first, 50-70 % for second, 75-90% for third and 100% for final quarters of the performance year;
• Review professional performance and document implementation processes and results through a project-based professional reports;

Capacity Development for Institutional Reform and Development:

• Prepare capacity development plan, taking into consideration the need of the government, non-government, local authorities and other development partners;
• Promote the capacity development approach developed by UNDP and, in consultation with the Government and UNDP, implement transfer of know-how through a series of training and learning events;
• Supervise the project's capacity building efforts aimed at government counterparts, local authorities and development organizations;
• Document the experience of capacity development initiatives and prepare the national policy and strategy;
• Monitor the achievements of capacity development initiatives and ensure follow-up support.

Marketing and Advocacy:

• Advocate and promote synthesis of best practices and be active member of the UNDP global and regional networks;
• Provide policy direction to ensure preparation of brochures, publications, press releases for dissemination in the area of electoral assistance;
• Prepare professional articles and showcase UNDP's role in supporting the IEC.

Strategic partnerships, Coordination and Resource Mobilization:

• Serve as a resource focal point on election policies and strategies, if required, within the UN system in Afghanistan;
• Analyze information on donors, prepare substantive briefs for the IEC and UNDP on possible areas of cooperation and identify opportunities for cost-sharing;
• Mobilize and network with the experts of international development community, government partners, UN Agencies and prominent think-tanks. Build and maintain excellent relations with stakeholders;
• Provide strategic direction to the ELECT team towards mobilizing human, technical and financial resources.

Competencias

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Encourages and strengthens team work;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office;
• In-depth knowledge on development issues;
• Ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programs and projects, mobilize resources;
• Good knowledge of the Results Management Guide and Toolkit;
• Strong IT skills;
• Ability to lead implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/attitudinal change.

• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Prince2 training and certification, RMG would be an advantage.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

• Master's degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Development, Political Sciences, Management or other relevant fields.

Experience:

• Minimum ten years of relevant work experience, of which at least seven years of professional experience in senior programme/project management in the field of elections;
• Extensive knowledge of the UN system and of UN electoral assistance;
• Capacity to work under pressure, manage stress and adapt to rapidly evolving situations;
• Sound time management and organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple tasks;
• Team player, self-motivated and initiative taking, dedicated, creative, resourceful, flexible, energetic with sound judgment;
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity of national counterparts;
• Dedication to the United Nations principles, to promotion of equal rights of men and women, and respect for cultural, ethnic and religious diversity;
• Proven management experience with sound knowledge and experience in all aspects of project cycle in the field of elections (design, implementation, monitoring & evaluation);
• Proven skills in effective fundraising, resource mobilization and donor relations;
• Proven experience in partnership building and networking;
• Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Excellent command of oral and written English;
• Advanced computer skills and strong knowledge of various software including Excel, Power-Point and Word;
• Knowledge of Afghanistan's electoral experience, broader cultural, traditional and Islamic contexts.Language Requirements:

• Excellent knowledge of English; working knowledge of Dari, Pashto is a strong asset.

Interested and qualified International candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP Jobs site http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm.

Please ensure that you upload your UN Personal History Form-P11 (available at http://www.undp.org.af/Jobs/index.htm ) in the relevant field of the on-line applications.   

Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date will not be given consideration. Please note that only applications who are short-listed will be contacted.   

For more detailed information about UNDP Afghanistan please visit our website at www.undp.org.af    

Candidates, who are currently holding UNDP or UN Agencies contracts, are asked to declare the type contract and duration, in their application”.  

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply